Lost
by TheAzuraStar
Summary: Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange...(Full summary inside!) R&R Please!
1. Prologue & Allegiances

**I'll skip the introduction and just let you read. Enjoy~!**

* * *

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

**~Allegiances~**

**ShadowClan**

_Leader  
_Rowanstar - ginger tom with blue eyes

_Deputy  
_Grayclaw - gray tom with amber eyes

_Medicine Cat  
_Frostwing - snowy-white she-cat with sky-blue eyes

_Warriors  
_Starlingwing - ginger tom  
Ferretclaw - cream-and-gray tom  
Pinenose - back she-cat  
Larkwing - brown tabby she-cat  
Mistfur - light gray she-cat  
Fernblaze - gray-and-ginger she-cat  
Cedarfur - ash-gray tom  
Sunblossom - ginger she-cat with icy-blue eyes  
Skyheart - gray-and-white she-cat with amber eyes  
Vinetail - gray tabby tom with blue eyes  
Redstreak - reddish-brown tabby tom

_Apprentices  
_Stonepaw - mottled gray tabby tom  
Duskpaw - dark gray tabby tom  
Pepperpaw - very pale gray she-cat with black flecks

_Queens  
_Honeytail - golden-brown she-cat

_Elders  
_Scorchfur - dark gray tom  
Owlclaw - light brown tabby tom  
Olivenose - tortoiseshell she-cat

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Prologue**

Where did the easy, simple days go? When a cat could just live their life day-to-day, without a thought to the past? The past didn't matter...what was done, was done. The only thing to do was to move on and accept things for what they were. There was no time or space to dwell on the past for a Clan cat.

...but how can one accept a past they can't remember? How can they move past it, look to the future, when such a large piece of their life is missing?

To look back, and not have any recollection of past events...how could a cat live like that? They would never stop searching. Never stop trying to get back what they lost. The need for answers would never leave them be, always looming in the back of the mind no matter what they did.

Skyheart knows that feeling. She knows it well. And she, too, will never stop searching. She is lost. And she wants to be found.

* * *

With a low growl, the slender gray-and-white cat sprang up off of the ground, earning a croak of alarm from the unfortunate frog under-paw. The cat leaned down and dealt the killing bite, before picking the dead amphibian up in powerful jaws.

Ears twitched and amber eyes narrowed as the cat scanned the undergrowth, always alert, forever wary. Cautious was the norm for this particular cat. Everything could hide an enemy, a secret. One could never be too careful.

Once sure that there was nothing suspicious nearby, the cat went on to retrieve the catches from before. Padding forward on light paws, the warrior gathered together the previous kills, and went home.

* * *

Upon slipping through the thorn tunnel and around the boulder, the cat emerged into the camp clearing. The sight of cats milling about calmed the cat's nerves, offering the reminder that this was home. Nothing bad would happen here.

After dropping the kills that consisted of two frogs and a lizard onto the fresh-kill pile, a loud voice rang out, "Skyheart! Skyheart! There you are! Where have you been?"

Skyheart turned her body to face her best friend, Sunblossom. The bright ginger she-cat was racing across the camp toward her, icy-blue eyes gleaming brightly.

"You've been gone _forever!_ I thought that maybe a RiverClan warrior got you or something," Sunblossom exclaimed, bouncing up and down like a hyper kit.

"Sunblossom, I wasn't anywhere near the RiverClan border. And I've only been gone since sun-high," Skyheart said to the energetic cat, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Really. You don't need to worry so much. You'll give yourself a headache."

Sunblossom looked at her paws, suddenly quiet. "I know...it's just, every time you go out on your own, I think of...that time," her voice had gotten lower as well. The normally bright and fiery-spirited she-cat looked almost frightened.

Skyheart would be lying if she said she didn't know what her friend was talking about. How could she not? She may not be able to recall exactly everything right down to the last detail, but she remembered just enough of that day to wish she couldn't.

The day she disappeared from ShadowClan's territory, and turned up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's. It was a mystery to everyone. No cat knew what happened, or how. Especially not Skyheart herself.

Apparently she'd been lying on the bank of the water, unconscious. When she woke up, she found herself face-to-face with a patrol of WindClan warriors. They had not been pleased to see her there. But they were also confused; how had she ended up so far from her own territory?

Even so, no one had been more confused at her situation than Skyheart herself. The rival patrol hadn't believed her at first when she explained that she hadn't even the slightest clue how she had gotten there. After much frustration and arguing, it had been decided that the cats who found her would escort her back to her own camp.

The trek home had been a long and tiring one for Skyheart, who was weak from what she had assumed was a fall into the lake. The sky had been dark and cloudy, a perfect match for the young ShadowClan warrior's mood.

When they reached ShadowClan territory at last, they had been almost immediately stopped by a patrol. Her Clanmates had been extremely surprised to see her with a group of WindClan cats.

It turned out that the patrol had been sent out to look for her after some cats had noticed she'd been gone for a long time.

And so, more confusion ensued, and she had been taken back to camp by her own Clan. The WindClan patrol hadn't been allowed to come any further into ShadowClan territory. Skyheart couldn't bring herself to care.

The rest of the night had gone by in a blur of questions, demands, and utter bewilderment. Skyheart had no answers for any of her Clanmates' questions, nothing to offer. To say it unnerved her was an understatement.

Never before had she been so lost and despaired. She quickly realized that there was much more missing from her memory than that night's events when three kits whom she did not know had bounded up to her and asked her where she had been for so long.

And as she stared at the kits with an expression of growing horror, that's when the medicine cat had taken initiative. With a question of, "What is the most recent thing you can remember?" Skyheart discovered the six moon gap in between her last clear memory and where she was right then.

Since then, half a moon had passed. Her Clanmates acted the same around her, but she knew they thought there was something wrong with her. _She_ thought there was something wrong with her. Where did her memories go? Why did she not remember? What happened?

Sunblossom was the only one who openly changed the way she acted when it came to Skyheart. She became more protective, hardly ever leaving the gray-and-white she-cat's side. She seemed to have made it her mission to keep Skyheart away from the RiverClan border for whatever reason. And while Skyheart could understand her friend's worry, sometimes it was just too much.

"Um, Skyheart? Are you there? Are you okay?" The voice of Sunblossom jarred Skyheart out of her thoughts. The ginger warrior was looking at her with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?" She repeated.

"Yes!" Skyheart exclaimed, and then meowed in a softer voice, "Yes. I was just lost in thought."

Sunblossom gave her a suspicious look, but didn't push it. "If you say so," she meowed dismissively, "well, anyway, did you hear? Vinepaw's warrior ceremony is today! Rowanstar's gonna have it once he and Mistfur get back from their assessment!"

It was common knowledge that the ginger warrior had an obvious crush on the gray tabby apprentice known as Vinepaw. He was all she seemed to go on about. It could get somewhat annoying.

"Ah," Skyheart responded, not sounding very interested.

"He'll finally be a warrior, and then we can go on hunts together! I can't wait! Isn't it exciting, Skyheart? It'll be just like when we were apprentices!" Sunblossom went on, ignorant to her friend's state of disinterest.

"Yeah," Skyheart meowed absently. She had long since learned to block out her friend when she started going off about her crush.

Vinepaw was an arrogant furball anyway. Sure, he had his moments, but Skyheart mostly just found him irritating. She had no clue why Sunblossom was so fond of him.

Besides, why should it even matter? The topic of mates and romance held no interest for Skyheart. She was a warrior, not a queen! She didn't want a litter of kits. It wasn't that she didn't like kits or anything. She just didn't want any of her own.

And it's not like any cat would ever be interested in her anyway. She was the strange one, the she-cat who was unable to remember six moons of her life. Skyheart herself wouldn't even want to become mates with her.

"Hey! Are you listening to me? Skyheart!" Sunblossom waved her tail in front of the other she-cat's face, trying to get her attention back. "You're not listening to me, are you?"

"What? No, yes, I'm listening." Skyheart replied.

"Really? Because you seemed really out of it just then. Are you sure you're alright?" Sunblossom asked yet again.

Skyheart felt a tiny dash of irritation. Why did Sunblossom keep asking that? She was fine, for StarClan's sake!

"I told you, I'm fine. Can we drop it now?" She asked, her tone coming out sharper than intended.

Sunblossom's eyes narrowed. "Well fine. I was just asking."

Great. Now she had made her friend angry. Skyheart sighed, and rested her tail on the ginger warrior's shoulder. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. But I really am fine. You don't need to worry so much about me."

"Someone has to. You don't do enough of it." Sunblossom replied. "I'm just…I don't want…that to happen again, you know? I was really scared. I thought I lost my best friend."

Skyheart blinked. Was her Clanmate really that worried about her? A pang of sudden suspicion hit her. Not for the first time, Skyheart found herself wondering if Sunblossom knew more than she let on about the past six moons.

Just as quick it came, the suspicion was replaced by guilt. She shouldn't doubt her closest friend. They had trained together as apprentices, became warriors together. Surely if she knew something, she'd have told her, right?

"Well, you didn't, and you won't. Not anytime soon, at least." Skyheart assured her.

"Good." Sunblossom replied, looking satisfied with Skyheart's answer. "Ah! Look! There he is! Vinepaw!" The ginger she-cat called out to the apprentice as he padded into camp behind his mentor, Mistfur. She bounded off toward him, leaving Skyheart to stare after her in exasperation.

"I still don't get why she likes him so much," Skyheart muttered to herself. "Can't she see how irritating he is?"

Shaking her head, the young she-cat padded after her friend. As she grew closer, Vinepaw threw her a smug look that made her blood boil. Okay, she _really_ didn't like this cat!

"Hey, Skyheart. I passed my assessment!" The gray tom announced proudly, and Skyheart rolled her eyes.

"How would you even know that? It hasn't been announced. Your ego is way too big for the rest of you," she felt no regret for her words. She felt it was justified. However...one cat did not.

"Skyheart, be nice!" Of course. Sunblossom. "Of course he did well on his assessment! And I know he passed, too!"

Skyheart felt a pang of disgust, and had to resist the urge to curl her lip. When did her good friend turn into this...this moonstruck rabbit? Where was the fiery-spirited, stubborn warrior no one dared to cross? Another wave of dislike for Vinepaw swept through her.

There was no surprise that Sunblossom's words only served to feed the apprentice's ego, as the young tom stood tall and puffed out his chest. "Well, at least someone appreciates my skills!" He meowed loudly, shooting a look at Skyheart.

_Great StarClan, grant me the patience to not shred this cat's ears!_ She thought in irritation. Her claws itched to unsheathe, so she wrapped her tail around her paws. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how great you are, O brave apprentice," she meowed mockingly.

Vinepaw's eyes narrowed into slits. "You-"

"Vinepaw! Get over here!" Mistfur's voice cut off whatever he was about to say. "Rowanstar is about to make an announcement!"

"Told you so," the apprentice hissed at Skyheart, before bounding off to join his mentor.

Skyheart snorted in response. Was she supposed to care? If she was, she didn't.

"What's gotten into you, Skyheart? Why are you behaving like that to Vinepaw?" Sunblossom was shooting her an accusing look.

"He was clearly asking for an argument," she defended herself. "Did you see the way he was looking at me? He was trying to provoke me."

Sunblossom muttered something that Skyheart didn't catch.

"What was that?" She asked, irritation surging up again.

"Nothing," Sunblossom muttered. "Don't worry yourself over it."

Skyheart bit back her retort. _If you have something to say, then say it!_ But she didn't want to fight with her best friend. That wouldn't get her anywhere. So she just merely nodded tensely in response and meowed, "Come on then. Rowanstar is about to make that announcement."

Sunblossom visibly perked up again and nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Well. The prologue(more like a chapter) is finally done! I really wanted to get this idea out there, so tell what you think, please!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks for the reviews last chapter, everyone! And for the favs and follows as well~!**

* * *

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter One**

_Why do they have to act so...lovestruck? Anyone would think they were attached at the hip with the way they never leave each-others sight. It's sickening!  
_

Indeed, Skyheart was currently sulking in the warriors' den, staring out into camp where Sunblossom and Vinetail - Vinepaw's warrior ceremony had been nearly a quarter moon ago now - were sitting side by side sharing a frog. They looked so happy and content - without a care in the world.

It was at these moments when Skyheart could begin to see the appeal the new warrior Vinetail held for Sunblossom. When he wasn't being a gloating, arrogant furball, he was actually somewhat nice. Of course, he only ever acted that way to Sunblossom, and seemed extra irritating when it came to Skyheart.

It still bothered her, though. How at ease and worry-free her friend looked.

Why couldn't Skyheart be like that? Why couldn't she have that easy contentment that seemed to radiate off of Sunblossom? Why could she not just be _happy?_

Skyheart blinked at her friend, and then quietly admitted to herself, "I'm envious. I envy my best friend."

It was true - she was envious of Sunblossom's ability to be content with herself and what she had. The ginger warrior wasn't missing anything, she didn't feel as if a huge part of her life had been ripped away.

She knew herself, while Skyheart felt like she was losing her grip on who she was.

Some cats may think, _'What's she making such a fuss over? It was only six moons.'_

Those cats were wrong. A lot could happen in six moons, and Skyheart had a deep-set feeling that something _did._ Those moons could have been the best of her life, and she wouldn't have any way of knowing! There was nothing to remember, nothing to go on!

Everything was absolutely frustrating. No cat could possibly understand what it was like. No cat currently alive had ever gone through this before. She was alone in her world of darkness. So alone...

A desolate and cramped feeling swept through Skyheart, filling her. Overwhelming her. Getting to her paws, she stumbled out of the warriors' den on shaky paws. She ignored the looks she received, the voices asking her if she was alright.

She needed air. Open air. Free of cats. Free of happy, unconcerned cats.

She tore through the thorn tunnel, ignoring the thorns that tugged at her pelt. She could deal with a few missing tufts of fur.

Leaving the camp behind in her wake, Skyheart sprinted in between and around the trees, the colours of the forest blending together as she ran. Ran like she was trying to escape her problems, like she could outrun them.

...if only.

She felt cheated. She felt cheated by life, and it left her with a stinging sensation of defeat. She just didn't know what to do.

* * *

Skyheart wasn't sure how long it had been since she left camp. She was surprised Sunblossom hadn't come looking for her yet. She could picture the ginger warrior, panicking over her best friend.

It made her feel a pang of guilt. She didn't want to worry her friend, she really didn't.

But she had needed to get out of camp before she suffocated. It was a necessity. Having a breakdown in camp wasn't on her to-do list.

So here she was, lounging at the base of a pine tree as she stared out at the lake. She didn't know what had brought her there - all she knew was that it was peaceful.

The lake was calm, reflecting the clear sky above.

Skyheart remembered the very first time she saw the lake...so beautiful. She had been in awe. She had never seen anything more magnificent in her life...of course, she hadn't thought it was so wonderful after Sunblossom - Sunpaw then - had pushed her into the shallow end. Oh, how furious she had been after that. She purred softly in amusement at the memory.

Remembering old times made Skyheart grow drowsy. Attempting to stifle a yawn, the young she-cat rested her head on her paws, gazing out at the mesmerizing water. Her eyes soon started to droop, and before long she was unable to keep them open any longer, and she slipped into a deep sleep.

* * *

_"Skypaw! Hey, Skypaw!" The gray-and-white apprentice looked up from the prey she was eating to see Sunpaw bounding toward her, tail straight up in the air.  
_

_"What is it, Sunpaw? Got another thorn stuck in your nose?" Skypaw asked, purring loudly._

_"No! And it's not funny, you know!" Sunpaw snapped, "that actually really hurts!"  
_

_"Sure, sure," Skypaw snickered. "I believe you." The expression on the ginger cat's face was priceless!  
_

_"Yeah, whatever," Sunpaw growled dismissively, "anyway, like I was trying to say originally," she shot an annoyed look at Skypaw, who merely rolled her eyes, "Vinekit's apprentice ceremony is later today! Isn't that great, Skypaw?"_

_Skypaw snorted. "I'm surprised that kit made it to apprenticeship, what with all the trouble he gets himself into."_

_"Aw, he's not so bad, Skypaw. He just needs a nudge in the right direction." Sunpaw defended him._

_"More like a shove," Skypaw retorted lightly, and looked down at the lizard between her paws. She took another bite, while Sunpaw next to her was silent.  
_

_Finally, Skypaw couldn't take it. "Sunpaw?" She questioned, looking at her friend who was giving her a blank stare. It was kind of unnerving. "What is it? Is something wrong?"_

_Sunpaw blinked. And then she meowed lowly, "What is your problem with Vinekit?"_

_"Huh?" Skypaw was startled. What was the ginger apprentice talking about?_

_"Vinekit," Sunpaw repeated, "Whenever anyone talks about him you always retort with something rude." The icy-blue eyed she-cat's gaze turned into a glare. "You're hardly fair toward him. So, what's your problem with him?"  
_

_Skypaw stared at her, wide-eyed. "My problem...with Vinekit? I don't have a problem with-"_

_"Don't lie!" Sunpaw snarled suddenly, "You're always giving him dirty looks and saying rude things, and I've had enough of it!"_

_Skypaw shied away from Sunpaw's anger, confused. "I don't-"_

_"Be quiet!" Sunpaw spat, looming over her friend, "I don't want to hear your excuses!"_

_Anger rose within Skypaw. She glared right back at Sunpaw and hissed, "You wanted me to tell you what my problem with Vinekit was, and now you're telling me to be quiet? Where's the logic in that?"_

_Pain suddenly shot through Skypaw's muzzle, and newly shed blood dripped down onto the ground. She looked up at Sunpaw, shocked, who's claws were unsheathed, and gleaming with blood. Skypaw's blood._

_"I told you to be quiet," she growled threateningly. "It's your own fault."_

_Skypaw only gaped at the ginger she-cat, who glared down at her coldly. What...why would her friend do such a thing?_

_"You've always had a problem with Vinetail," Sunpaw continued, "And he did nothing to deserve it. Why are you so unfair to him?"_

Whoa...wait. Vinetail? Aren't we talking about Vinekit? Who is Vinetail? _Skypaw thought, confused.__ Her friend wasn't making any sense.  
_

_"Answer me!" Sunpaw shrieked, raising her paw to strike Skypaw again._

_Skypaw threw herself out of the way of the attack, and stared at Sunpaw. This...this wasn't her friend. This wasn't the Sunpaw she knew. What was going on?_

_"What are you talking about?!" Skypaw yowled, "I don't know a Vinetail, I only know a Vinekit!"_

_"Nice try, Skyheart," Sunpaw growled, "Stop playing around. Just because you have some problems with your memory, doesn't mean you're special!"_

Problems...with my memory? Skyheart? What is going on?! _Skypaw was starting to panic. And where were all their Clanmates? They were in camp, but there wasn't another cat in sight!_

_Skypaw felt a surge of anger. She didn't know where it had come from, but suddenly, somehow, she knew exactly what to say._

_"I know I'm not special. I know that. But don't you go off pointing out my flaws when your your precious little _Vinetail _has twice as many!"_

_Skypaw was shocked at herself. She had been angry before, yes, so she knew what it was like. But this anger...it was different. Bitter. Confused. _Envious.

_But before she was able to ponder this further, something - Sunpaw - slammed into her with a enraged yowl. Skypaw twisted, trying to throw her friend off, but the ginger she-cat held fast.  
_

_"Get off! What in the name of StarClan is wrong with you?" Skypaw yowled, eyes wide._

_Teeth met in her shoulder in response, and the gray-and-white she-cat thrashed in agony, but this only succeeded in bringing on more pain.  
_

_"Get off! Get off!" Skypaw shrieked wildly, writhing and squirming and thrashing. But the teeth just seemed to sink in even deeper with each move._

_And then, Sunpaw's voice growled in her ear, "Stormfall's not around to save you now," and then with a flash of white-hot pain, long, sharp claws buried themselves deep into her throat._

* * *

**I know, it's shorter than the first one. But I decided to end it here. So, tell me what you think! **

**~TheAzuraStar**


	3. Chapter 2

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter Two**

Skyheart jolted awake, panting heavily. For a moment, she had no clue where she was, too disoriented by the horrid nightmare to recognize anything. After several more moments of quiet gasping and a heart-pounding, fear-induced state, she finally calmed down enough to notice her surroundings.

She was still by the lake, exactly where she had been before. The sky was dark now, though, indicating she'd probably been sleeping for a while. The air had cooled as well, blowing softly through her fur. She welcomed the pleasant sensation.

The terror of the dream was already fading, leaving Skyheart relieved but slightly disturbed. Her tail subconsciously drifted over her throat, right where Sunblossom's - no, Sun_paw's _- claws had been. Part of her shuddered at the memory. The pain had felt so real.

Sunblossom would never do something like that, though. Skyheart knew it. She knew her friend. That dream had been nothing more than the product of dredging up old memories from apprenticehood, mixed with the unpleasant, envious and bitter feelings she held toward her friend and Vinetail's happiness.

But she wouldn't forget it in a hurry, that's for sure. No, it had been much to startling and terrifying for that. However, Skyheart decided, if there was anything that she ever willingly _wanted_ to forget, it would be that dream.

_Stormfall._

Skyheart froze. In her mulling over of her dream, she had forgotten the name that Dream Sunpaw had hissed in her ear right before...she woke up. Out of everything that had happened during the dream, that name now stood out the most.

_Who...who is Stormfall? That name...it sounds familiar, but I don't know it. Or do I?_ Could it be, that Stormfall was a name from her forgotten past? Did she, at some point, know a cat called Stormfall?

_It sounds like the name of a ThunderClan or RiverClan cat..._ Skyheart mused. _But in the case that I know - or knew, I suppose - a cat with that name, why would I associate myself with a cat from another Clan? There's no chance that the cat could be from ShadowClan. There aren't any warriors with that name._ Skyheart drew the conclusion that this Stormfall was indeed from another Clan. There was no other option.

Wait. Hadn't Dream Sunpaw said something about this Stormfall not being around to save her? Okay, why would she need to be saved by a cat from another Clan in any scenario? She could take care of herself! She didn't need help from an enemy warrior! Dream Sunpaw must have hit her head or something...

Realizing she was getting off topic with her thoughts, Skyheart returned to the subject of Stormfall. _So...I'll just assume they're a tom for now...this Stormfall's from another Clan, there's a possibility that I knew him in the past, and well enough to trust him with my life...none of that makes any sense!_

Skyheart shook her head violently. This wasn't doing anything but giving her more questions without answers! Why couldn't things just be _easy _for once in her life-?

_Wait._

Skyheart went still again, her eyes widening as something struck her. Not literally, though.

_Okay, so obviously my dream had some elements from my forgotten past in it. I gathered, since the name Stormfall sounds so familiar, that I knew a cat with that name. But that leaves me with the question: how did Dream Sunpaw know that name? Is it merely coincidence...or does it mean Sunblossom really does know more about those six moons than she says?_

The thought that Sunblossom would keep something like this from her gave Skyheart an unsettling feeling deep in her stomach. But if she wanted to consider all possibilities here, she had to acknowledge the fact that maybe her best friend was keeping something important from her. As absurd as the idea may sound.

Skyheart wished, she wished with everything she had, that this discovery was merely coincidence. That it served no other purpose than to make her dream all the more eerie.

Because she did _not _want to believe that Sunblossom would do something like that to her. Not the cat that she grew up with, shared all her secrets with, became warriors together with. The cat who stuck with her through everything, both thick and thin. She didn't know what she'd do if it turned out to be true.

_Sunblossom is like my sister, the one I never had. And sisters wouldn't keep something that vital from each-other, right? Especially when she knows how much I grieve over what I've somehow lost...surely she'd tell me anything and everything she knows.  
_

And so, for now, Skyheart made the decision to keep quiet about her might-be revelation. She didn't want to upset her friend in the event that the dream's implications were wrong. Ruining her friendship with Sunblossom wasn't on her to-do list either. She did the same with the discovery of Stormfall. She wasn't quite ready to reveal to anyone that she may have remembered a name from her past.

But despite the young warrior's firm standing in the decisions she had made tonight, she knew that the suspicion she held for Sunblossom would never quite fade away. Not until she had all of her answers.

* * *

On paws that were half-asleep, Skyheart made her way back to camp, figuring she'd let Sunblossom freak out over her absence for long enough. The thought of her ginger-furred friend running around camp in a frenzy had her purring softly in amusement.

As she slipped past the boulder than half-blocked the camp entrance, Skyheart was greeted by an uneventful camp. No cat was panicking, or looking around frantically. So Sunblossom must not have noticed she'd been gone for at least a few hours. Yet.

Well, Skyheart was back now, so she didn't need to find out. She wasn't in the mood to listen to the ginger she-cat snap her ear off all night anyway. She had gotten enough of that from Dream Sunpaw, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, StarClan didn't agree with her, and decided she needed to be yelled at some more. Because as soon as she was about half-way across camp, something suddenly slammed into her flank, bowling her over as she let out a strangled yowl of shock.

"Where in the name of _StarClan _have you been?" A voice hissed into her ear.

"I'll tell you. Provided you stop acting like a rabid fox and get off of me. I'd like to be able to stand, you know." Skyheart retorted, unamused.

The paws pinning her to the ground disappeared, and Skyheart stood up to face a _very_ angry-looking Sunblossom. Her tail was lashing, and her eyes were narrowed into slits. Skyheart swore she saw the ginger she-cat's claws flash out before suddenly vanishing.

Unsurprisingly, the moment Skyheart laid eyes on the she-cat, she experienced a pang of suspicion. She bit it back, remembering the decision she'd made to keep quiet about it.

"So?" Sunblossom snapped. "Are you going to tell me where you disappeared to this time?"

Though Skyheart knew her best friend was just angry out of concern, she still felt a flash of irritation at her tone.

"I went to the lake and fell asleep there. Happy? Can I go now, _mother?_" Her voice came out in a growl, and she was unable to keep the annoyance out of her words. Maybe if she continued to speak sharply when Sunblossom started throwing a fit, the ginger cat would lay off. It was a vain hope, though, knowing Sunblossom's temper.

"The lake? That's it?" She seemed both surprised and relieved for a reason that Skyheart was unable to comprehend. Seriously, when did Sunblossom's actions and reactions become so unpredictable? She was supposed to be acting suspicious and snoop around the gray-and-white she-cat's business!

"Yeah, that's it," Skyheart confirmed shortly, "I didn't go near the RiverClan border, or come across a RiverClan warrior, don't worry and don't ask. I'm fine, everything is _fine._" She put emphasis on the last word, trying to get the point across.

"Oh, okay." Sunblossom was unusually quiet. Skyheart just didn't get it. She didn't get anything anymore.

"Well...if that's all...I'm going to my nest now. I'm still tired, and I want to be completely refreshed for the dawn patrol tomorrow morning. Goodnight." Skyheart meowed, and then slipped past the still-quiet Sunblossom.

She didn't like to be short with her friend, but that was the only way to deal with the she-cat when she got all protective and demanding. And she got like that a lot. To the point where she felt like she yelled at her friend more than she had normal conversations with her.

With a sigh, Sunblossom entered the warriors' den and flopped down into her nest. Exhaustion claimed her them moment she started to relax, and she let herself slip back into unconsciousness, praying to StarClan for a peaceful dream this time.

If she was lucky, maybe she'd get it.

* * *

Either StarClan hated her, or she just had very bad luck.

Because when she had wished for a nice dream, she had meant it. And she had gotten this.

Blackness.

Everywhere.

She couldn't see a pawstep in front of her. Everything was black.

Skyheart was floating in a void of darkness.

"Because this was what I meant when I asked for a peaceful dream! Haha, StarClan, you're so very _funny!_" Skyheart snapped into the open emptiness. Her voice echoed back.

"Great. I just wanted to sleep peacefully. With a _normal _dream. Is that too much to ask for?" She muttered to herself, and then thought, _Well, who else is there to mutter that to?_

She didn't know how long she was stuck there like that. How long she just hung there, staring out into the open blackness.

But eventually, something broke the silent stillness. And it wasn't her.

_"This is what your memories have become. Blank."_

Skyheart jerked so harshly, she heard a bone somewhere crack. "W-what? Who said that? Who's there? I thought I was alone here!"

The Voice - what Skyheart had already dubbed it - ignored her outburst.

_"This is what they always will be unless you do something about it."_

"Who are you?! Tell me!" The ShadowClan warrior snapped.

_"Do you want to live the rest of your life moping over what is not there? Do you not want to do anything about it?"_

Skyheart was growing agitated. "Of course I want to do something about it! I just don't know what! I don't know where to begin!"

The Voice responded to her this time. _"Try! You will never know anything unless you _try_! You remembered something from your past just earlier tonight, did you not? Use that! Start with what you _do _know!"_

Skyheart blinked. _Start with what I do know...what _do_ I know?_

The Voice's...voice softened. _"You must remember...you cannot live in the dark for the rest of your life. Remember..."_

And then it was gone.

And then Skyheart woke up.

* * *

**Well, another chapter finished! It's only been one day since I uploaded chapter 1...but whatever. I'm just gonna post new chapters whenever I get around to finishing them, be it a day from the last, or a month.  
This one's almost as long as the Prologue. too! I really liked writing this one for whatever reason...so I hope you enjoy reading it!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	4. Chapter 3

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter Three**

_Start with what you do know..._

_What _do _I know? That I'm missing six moons of my life? That I've never been more miserable in my life than I have these past few days? That's nothing to go on..._

Stifling a growl - for it was quite dark out now, and Skyheart could hear the sleeping breaths of her Clanmates - the young she-cat buried her face in her paws. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. Nothing nowadays was.

_Mouse-brain! Have you already forgotten your dream? That name you were able to recall? What Dream Sunpaw said? You have all you need right there in your head! All you have to do now is act!_

Skyheart lifted her head, realizing her conscious had a point. She had a name, Stormfall. She had Sunblossom, who, regardless if she was Skyheart's best friend, obviously knew _something _about her past.

She just needed to stop shying away in fear and uncertainty and confront these things. She would never get anywhere if she didn't. The Voice was right; moping around about her situation wasn't going to do any good. She had to take things into her own paws, since no one else was going to do it for her.

It had nearly been a moon since she woke up on WindClan territory. She had done enough sitting around. It was time to take control of her life again and find out just what she had lost.

* * *

It turns out confronting her best friend about her past wasn't as easy as she had thought.

After the dawn patrol, she had immediately set to work. She would get answers today. Today would be the day some light would be shed on her dark memories. However...things weren't going so brilliantly.

Here she stood, a few fox-lengths away from Sunblossom. And she had no idea on how to go about her plan. She couldn't just walk up to the ginger she-cat and say, 'Look, I had a dream last night, and a crazy younger version of you went all berserk on me and then said something about a Stormfall and then tried to kill me.'

Yeah. Because that would go over well.

_Okay, so just go up to her and start a conversation. It can't be that difficult. Just work your way up to your goal. _Skyheart encouraged herself in her head. So, taking a deep breath, she padded up to her friend.

"Hey, Sunblossom," she meowed casually. _Good start. Keep it up._ She said to herself.

"Oh, Skyheart. How are you? Dawn patrol okay? Did you run into any enemy patrols?" Sunblossom was full of questions, like usual when Skyheart came back from a patrol or hunting expedition.

"No, it was actually pretty boring. I didn't even see a single frog out there..." Skyheart trailed off, and looked at her friend from her peripheral vision. She didn't look suspicious, so she must not have any idea of Skyheart's plan.

"Yeah, that does sound boring. I wish I could have come. Might have made it funner," Sunblossom shrugged, indicating her words were only half-hearted.

_What do I say now? Ugh, I'm drawing a blank! Think, Skyheart, think! Anything! She's starting to give you a funny look!_ She was panicking on the inside. This was definitely not how this was supposed to go.

"...is everything okay, Skyheart? You're starting to-"

"I had a dream last night!"

Silence.

_No! No, no, no, no, no! That was the one thing were were NOT supposed to mention! Mouse-brain! _Skyheart thought, desperately wishing she could take her sudden outburst back.

"You...had a dream?" Sunblossom asked, blinking. She looked thoroughly confused.

"Yes," Skyheart replied solemnly, knowing she now had to go with the direct approach. As much as she didn't want to. "And there's something I want to tell you - no, wait. I mean ask you. There's something I really need to ask you about." Here goes nothing.

"What is it?" Was it just Skyheart, or did Sunblossom look almost wary?

"Sunblossom. I know you're my closest friend - no, actually, you're more like my sister. But not my real one, because I don't actually have a sister, but that doesn't make you any less-"

"Skyheart. You're rambling." Sunblossom pointed out, and Skyheart's pelt turned hot with embarrassment.

"Sorry," Skyheart apologized, "what I'm trying to ask is...what I wanted to know...I mean-"

"Just spit it out already!" The ginger she-cat exclaimed, obviously getting fed up with her friend's beating around the bush.

"Did you lie to me when you said you didn't know anything else about those six moons?" There. She said it, and now she couldn't take it back. It was direct, too, so Sunblossom had no choice but to give her an equally direct answer.

For a few moments, everything around the two cats was silent. Sunblossom's eyes were wide. Skyheart's were darting around rapidly looking anywhere but at her friend.

"Skyheart-"

"Rowanstar! Grayclaw!" A sudden, piercing yowl cut off whatever Sunblossom was about to say. Both cats turned to see a warrior - his name was Cedarfur - burst into camp with his fur fluffed out and eyes wild with terror.

Rowanstar and Grayclaw - ShadowClan's deputy - both appeared at the entrance to the leader's den, alerted by the urgent cry of the warrior. Rowanstar immediately bounded over to the ash-gray warrior, and demanded, "What is it, Cedarfur?"

"Dogs!" The warrior gasped, still panting from his run back to camp. "Fernblaze sent me to fetch warriors! She and Vinetail are in trouble!"

"Vinetail?" Sunblossom whispered, a horror-struck expression coming over her face. "He's in trouble?"

"Grayclaw, Cedarfur, Sunblossom and Larkwing," Rowanstar listed, "Go now. Help your Clanmates!"

Sunblossom cast a hesitant look at Skyheart, but the gray-and-white she-cat refused to meet her friend's gaze. With a long sigh, she turned and raced off with the other three warriors, vanishing from sight.

Skyheart glared at the ground in frustration. She finally voiced her question, but then Sunblossom just had to be called away by dogs of all things! Would she never catch a break?

Clawing at the earth, Skyheart hissed in annoyance and turned to stalk into the warriors' den. Her path was barred however, by a tail being thrust out in front of her. She followed the tail with her eyes, and saw Rowanstar looking at her with a expressionless gaze.

Having no idea what her leader wanted, she questioned, "Rowanstar?"

The ginger-furred leader stared at her for a moment longer before speaking. "Is everything alright? You haven't been acting like yourself lately." Though his voice was carefully void of any outward emotion, Skyheart saw a flicker of concern in her leader's blue eyes.

Skyheart blinked. _Of course he'd be a bit worried, _she thought to herself, _he was my mentor for a few moons._

That was true. At first, Skyheart had been apprenticed to a cat named Snakefang, but the following leaf-bare after her apprentice ceremony, the tom had come down with a case of whitecough that had eventually developed into greencough. He never did get better, eventually being claimed by death. Skyheart had been sad, but she hadn't had enough time to actually get to know him, so she didn't grieve for too long.

And so after that, Skyheart's training was then transferred over to Rowanstar. The gray-and-white she-cat still didn't know why he chose himself to take over her training, but she didn't complain.

But, back to the present.

"I'm fine," Skyheart responded immediately, her default response to that question. You'd think that cats would stop asking that by now, since it was the only reply she ever gave when asked.

_As fine as a cat can be when they're missing six moons of their life, _she thought bitterly, but didn't let this thought show on her face or in her eyes.

Rowanstar still seemed to know what she was thinking either way. "I'd have to be mouse-brained to believe that lie," he meowed to her seriously, and Skyheart's pelt turned hot in embarrassment.

Nonetheless, she still insisted, "It's not a lie. I'm fine, really. There's nothing to worry about."

She knew her the ShadowClan leader didn't believe her words, but she wanted to drop the subject now. As much as she thought about her issues, she _didn't _like to talk about them.

So Rowanstar replied, "You're a good warrior," she felt her pelt heat up again at this comment, "and I don't want that to go to waste. I spent four moons training you to be a worthy warrior of ShadowClan, and I'm not disappointed by the results. Don't make me regret making you a warrior."

And with that, the ginger tom stalked off back to his den, leaving Skyheart stunned by his words.

_Don't make me regret making you a warrior._

She blinked in disbelief. Was Rowanstar implying something? That she was slacking off in her warrior duties? Because she wasn't. She knew she wasn't. She only went on the dawn patrol just this morning!

She shook her head violently, trying to dislodge the thought. _It was just a __warning, _she decided, _a warning telling me not to do anything mouse-brained._

Firmly putting that thought to the back of her head, Skyheart continued to the warriors' den, where she would wait until Sunblossom and the others returned.

* * *

Skyheart was dozing in and out of consciousness when suddenly an ear-splitting yowl of shock and horror split the air. She immediately snapped to complete awareness and leaped to paws in alarm, fur bristling.

Leaping out of the warriors' den, she scanned the camp for any sign of danger, opting to look confused when she detected none.

That's when the scent of blood hit her nose.

Head snapping to the entrance of the camp, her eyes widened as she watched her Clanmates slowly emerge around the boulder, each bearing some sort of injury. Grayclaw was in the lead, breathing heavily and looking ragged. His pelt had a long gash along one side, the fur clumping with blood, both dry and fresh.

Next came Larkwing and Fernblaze. The brown tabby she-cat was supporting Fernblaze, who limped heavily and had chunks of fur torn off in various places. She also was bleeding profusely and looked like she was about to pass out on her paws at any given moment.

And last came Vinetail, Cedarfur, and Sunblossom. Skyheart nearly had a panic-attack when she saw the state of her best friend.

The ginger she-cat was supported by both Vinetail and Cedarfur on either side. She was completely limp, her paws nearly dragging in the dirt. Her pelt was stained red, and Skyheart swore that almost every inch if her body was covered with some sort of injury.

The only thing that assured Skyheart that her best friend wasn't dead was the fact that Sunblossom's eyes were slightly cracked open. If it wasn't for that, any cat would have assumed the ginger warrior had already left for StarClan.

The camp was eerily silent as the Clan stared at the returning warriors with horror-struck expressions. What in the name of StarClan had happened out there?

Frostwing, the Clan's medicine cat, shoved through the crowd of clustered cats, trying to reach the injured cats. "Move it! Out of the way, I'm trying to get through!"

Skyheart let herself get shoved aside by the snowy-white medicine cat, too shocked to move herself.

_Sunblossom was seriously injured. Sunblossom looked half-dead. Sunblossom was barely breathing._

Right then and there, Skyheart decided that if StarClan claimed her friend tonight, she would never forgive them. Because this is not how Sunblossom was supposed to go. Not at the teeth and claws of a StarClan-forsaken _dog._

Her claws dug hard into the ground under her paws and she stared hard at Sunblossom as she lay on the ground limply, with Frostwing at her side working diligently and snapping at any cat who stepped too close. Including Vinetail, who hovered around the cat he loved with a worried and anxious look in his blue eyes.

"Will she be okay? She's not going to die, is she? Can you save her?" The words flew out of the young ShadowClan tom's mouth faster than he had the time to think about asking them.

"I don't know yet, I'm doing the best that I can," Frostwing answered honestly, and then hardened her tone, "but if you don't stop getting in the way, I'll never be able to treat these cats properly!"

Vinetail backed off after that, but he still kept a worried eye on Sunblossom. Skyheart felt a pang of something deep in her chest, and she padded forward to stand near the young tom.

"She'll be fine," she muttered to him, "She has to be. She's tougher than this, she wouldn't let a dog be the one to do her in."

Vinetail spun his head around to give her a glare, and for a moment, Skyheart thought he was going to snap at her. But his eyes suddenly lost their angry spark, and became somber. He bowed his head, breaking eye-contact. He looked defeated, reflecting how Skyheart felt on the inside.

She never thought it would happen, but here she stood, beside the cat whom she'd always held a certain dislike for, watching as the cat who was very important to both of them in very different ways, clung to life.

And for once, she held no bitter feelings toward him. No anger, no envy. There were no taunting words or comments, just silence.

Right now, they were not enemies or rivals, but kindred spirits who prayed for the life of one very special individual.

It may not last, but for now, Skyheart was comforted by the fact that she wasn't the only one who was affected so deeply by this. And maybe, just maybe, after this was over and done with, the two of them might be friends.

...but probably not.

* * *

**I don't like the ending of this chapter. I couldn't get it to come out the way I wanted it to.**

**But whatever. This is the longest chapter so far, by the way. But I'm still not too fond of it. Maybe you guys'll think differently. See ya!  
**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	5. Chapter 4

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter Four**

Skyheart was unable to sleep that night. She doubted Vinetail got much either. With Sunblossom - and Fernblaze, who was the second worse when it came to injuries - just barely clinging to life in the medicine den, it felt like there was a permanent thorn jabbing her in the ribs. She was much too worried to do anything but sit around and fret about her best friend's health.

At least the dogs had been chased off, so the ShadowClan warriors' efforts and suffering hadn't been in vain. Who knows what kind of damage a few dogs might have done to the Clan if they'd been allowed to stay, especially if they were starving. Honeytail, the Clan's only queen as of right now, had been immensely relieved upon hearing this, but she'd also been incredibly concerned about her mate, Grayclaw.

The ShadowClan deputy's injuries weren't as severe as Sunblossom's or Fernblaze's, but he had been forced by Frostwing to temporarily step down from his spot as deputy while he healed. Pinenose, one of the Clan's senior warriors, had been chosen to fill in for him until he was able to resume his duties. Some cats were worried that Pinenose might not want to give up her new position when the time came, since the black she-cat was known to be a bit ambitious, but Skyheart knew she wouldn't try something as rash as attempting to overthrow Grayclaw for deputyship.

The black she-cat was Skyheart's own mother, after all. If anyone knew her well, it would be her own daughter.

But Skyheart only cared about the well-being and safety of her closest friend. What would she do if Sunblossom died? She'd surely snap and go mad, having her only source of comfort in this world of confusion gone. It may be a selfish way to think, but honestly, with everything she'd been through lately, shouldn't she be allowed to think of only herself even just once?

Sighing, Skyheart rested her head on her paws as she stared at the starry sky through an opening in the warriors' den. She shut her eyes for a fleeting moment, opening them again when she heard some shuffling from deeper inside the den.

Turning her head discreetly, Skyheart watched as a cat rose from their nest and picked their way carefully around the sleeping cats, wary of stepping on a stray tail or paw. The cat paused once by what was usually Sunblossom's nest, and then that was when Skyheart knew who it was. Who else would stop so obviously at the ginger she-cat's nest other than maybe herself?

Vinetail left the warriors' den quietly, not aware of Skyheart's following eyes. He padded across the empty camp, eventually slipping around the entrance boulder and out of his Clanmate's line of sight.

Now, normally Skyheart would have ignored this and went back to sleep. But since she was unable to sleep to begin with, her curiosity and - though she would _never_ admit it - slight concern got the better of her. Rising to her own paws, the young gray-and-white warrior padded after the gray tabby tom, slipping past the boulder and through the thorn tunnel.

Once emerging into the dark forest, Skyheart lifted her nose to the air and picked up various scents. But she was only searching for one, and when she found it, she was soon tailing after a cat she always thought she hated. Funny what one horrible accident could do to bring two cats closer together, even by a slight bit.

His scent was leading her to the lake. She still held bitter memories for it, due to waking up once to complete and utter confusion on WindClan's side, and twice to horror and fear from a nightmare. It went without saying that Skyheart was not fond of the lake, though the massive body of water itself had done nothing to her.

Vinetail was sitting on the shore of the lake staring out at the water. His back was to her, so she couldn't see his face, but she assumed it was either a look of pain and despair, or anger and frustration. Skyheart herself had been switching back and forth between the two all night.

She padded up silently behind him, still without him realizing she was there and had followed him all this way. She could clearly see that every muscle in his body was tensed, proving her earlier thoughts about his expression to be correct.

"I'm not sure that it's safe to be out here by yourself, what with dogs roaming around," Skyheart said quietly, making the tom jump in surprise.

Vinetail whipped around to glare harshly at her. "What are you doing here?" He snapped, eyes narrowing.

"Following you," Skyheart replied bluntly.

"Why?" He was suspicious.

"I told you," she said impatiently, "there are dogs wandering about, so-"

"Grayclaw and the others drove them out," Vinetail pointed out angrily, growling, "now what are you _really _doing here?"

Skyheart really wanted to snap at him. His tone of voice was starting to rub her the wrong way. "Making sure you don't do something stupid," she growled back, forcing her fur to lie flat.

"Stupid? What in the name of StarClan are you even talking about? You're delusional," Vinetail scoffed scornfully.

That was it. She couldn't hold it.

"Why are you being so difficult?" She snapped angrily, "I'm only trying to help you!"

"I don't need your help!" The tom shot back furiously. "Just leave me alone!"

Skyheart knew it was mouse-brained of her. But she couldn't stop herself. Flashing out a paw, she cuffed him over the head. She kept her claws sheathed, though, as she did not want to draw blood.

"Stop being so stubborn and just shut your jaws for a moment!" She snarled harshly. "You don't have to act like you're the only one who cares for Sunblossom; she has a whole Clan to do that," Vinetail opened his jaws to snap something, but Skyheart swept on, "I understand how you feel, but moping about and sneaking out of camp is not the answer!"

Vinetail was silent, just glaring at her.

Skyheart sighed. "You care for Sunblossom, I know. I do too. She is the sister I've never had..." she trailed off, eyes distant, and then continued, "I know she cares for you as well. And me. We are the two most important cats in her life, so we have to be there for her. Can you imagine how she'd react of one of us vanished? Permanently? That's why I followed you. You're not yourself when you're confused and frustrated, but believe me when I say you're not the only one to feel that way. And as long as Sunblossom's heart beats, I will make sure that both me _and_ you are around."

Vinetail stood there listening to her in silence, the hard look never leaving his eyes. Skyheart wondered if any of her words got through to him.

Finally, the tom spoke. "First of all, I wasn't thinking any stupid thoughts, so don't think I was for a moment. Secondly, I know how much I mean to her. I don't need you to tell me that." Though his words were less than nice, the tone was no longer as harsh. "And lastly, I don't intend on leaving her anytime soon. Her heart will beat long past right now. I'm sure of that."

Skyheart blinked. She was surprised that Vinetail didn't get extremely offended at her words, and even more so at the fact that he was actually _agreeing_ with her. Somewhat.

"But..." he trailed off, suddenly adopting a sullen look, "I guess I...appreciate the effort all the same."

Skyheart could have cheered then. He actually said something that was nice to her! Maybe Vinetail wasn't so bad after all...

"But that doesn't mean I like you, though! You're still mouse-brained and annoying!"

...way to ruin the bonding moment, Vinetail.

"Yes, of course," Skyheart muttered, "and you're still an irritating and arrogant furball."

* * *

The next morning, woke up to surprise that she had fallen asleep at all. After that little talk by the lake, the two had returned back to camp, bickering and exchanging mild insults the entire way.

But Skyheart had noticed the distinct lack of intense dislike that usually coursed through her whenever Vinetail opened his mouth. No, she had felt...dare she admit it, but _content._ It was a huge shock to her. Sunblossom would be leaping for joy if she knew.

_Sunblossom!_

Skyheart scrambled to her paws, sending pine needles from her nest scattering about in her haste.

She bounded out of the warriors' den, and then rushed across camp toward the medicine cat's den in the far corner.

She burst inside without even a simple greeting, startling Fernblaze who was lounging peacefully in a nest nearby. The older warrior gave her a look, and Skyheart winced. Fernblaze's glare could be extremely intimidating, and no cat wanted to face her when she was angry. It made Skyheart wonder how the fierce warrior had ended up injured so badly in the fist place.

"Skyheart, why are you disturbing my patient?" Frostwing asked sharply as she emerged from somewhere deeper inside the den.

"I...I was just...I wanted to check up on Sunblossom," she admitted meekly, feeling thoroughly intimidated from the two she-cat's piercing stares.

"I already sent Vinetail away earlier," the medicine cat growled in irritation, "she's weak, but stable. She has a good chance, but I'm still not exactly sure if she will be perfectly fine."

Skyheart felt relief mixed with dread. So Sunblossom may or may not survive? StarClan...

"Are you done here? Yes? Well good, you can go then. I'm sure there are more productive things you warriors can do with your time than pester me all day," Frostwing dismissed her.

Skyheart, feeling mildly offended, turned and left the den. Outside, cats were starting to rouse, and the camp was more active. Skyheart padded across the ground toward Pinenose, who was busy organizing patrols.

Upon spotting Skyheart, the black she-cat called out, "Skyheart! You can join Redstreak and Starlingwing for a hunting patrol. Leaf-bare is just around the corner, so we'd ought to start stocking up on fresh-kill before it gets any harder to find."

Skyheart nodded her acknowledgement, and padded over to Redstreak and Starlingwing, who were waiting for her by the camp exit. When she reached them, she asked, "So where are we hunting?"

"Just around the RiverClan border," Starlingwing replied, "Pinenose also wants us to check out the border while we're at it. She said the dawn patrol picked up the scent of a warrior on our territory."

A RiverClan warrior? On their territory? That was odd. RiverClan didn't normally cross the border for any reason at all.

"Just one cat?" Skyheart asked, wondering why a single cat alone would dare cross into ShadowClan territory.

"As far as we know, yes." Starlingwing replied as he led his hunting patrol out of camp.

Skyheart padded after her Clanmates, thinking of how if Sunblossom knew where she was headed, she wouldn't be happy about it. Her friend _was _always trying to keep her away from RiverClan, after all.

She never used to do that before Skyheart lost her memories. More suspicion pierced her as she found herself longing for the past. When life was simple, uncomplicated. Unlike now.

When everyday felt much more complicated than it should.

* * *

So far, this hunting expedition had not gone as well as Skyheart would have liked. Two frogs had escaped her claws, and she had somehow lost a lizard. What she did have is one mere little mouse she had managed to trap in between her paws.

It was like something was scaring off all of her potential catches. It was starting to get on the white-and-gray warrior's nerves.

"Fox-dung! Why is this only happening to me?" She growled under her breath as yet another frog hopped away and into the safety of the marsh. Lashing her tail, Skyheart lifted her nose to the air and sniffed.

She then wrinkled her nose; all she was picking up was the overwhelming reek of fox-dung. She hoped there wasn't any foxes nearby.

Shaking her head to herself, she padded away from the marshy area, opting to head somewhere where she may have a better chance at actually catching something other than a mouse that was less than a quarter of her size.

But when Skyheart stopped a fair distance from the marsh and scented the air again, she was immensely surprised to realize that the smell of fox-dung had seemingly _followed _her.

Inconspicuously, she sniffed at her own pelt to see if it was coming from her, then immediately felt silly when she found no trace of the reek.

"What is going on? Am I being stalked by fox-dung or not? Because this is just not making any sense," she growled, scoring the ground with her claws.

"It depends on how you look at it," a voice replied to her, "I could technically be classified as a pile of fox-dung, since I reek so strongly of the stuff...or I could be a cat who's been waiting for you to show up here by yourself for nearly a moon."

Skyheart whipped around, fur bristling. Standing right there behind her was a tom-cat whose fur was clumped up in...she didn't even want to think about it. It was a disgusting sight, really.

"What are you doing here, you..." she couldn't determine the cat's scent underneath the smell of the fox-dung, "trespasser?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The tom looked at her strangely, "I've been looking for you."

Skyheart was about to snap back a vicious reply, but the words got caught in her throat as the tom then did the unspeakable. He bounded up to her and pressed his muzzle to hers. "I was worried about you," he murmured.

The masked scent of RiverClan flooded her nose, and she leaped back, spitting furiously. "_What in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing?!"_

The tom looked thoroughly taken aback. And then hurt flooded his gaze. "Skyheart? What's wrong with you?"

"How do you know who I am? Who _are _you?" Skyheart demanded angrily, taking a threatening step toward him, tail lashing back and forth.

"What do you mean, who am I? You know who I am! I'm Stormfall!" The tom meowed indignantly.

Skyheart froze at the name.

Stormfall.

_Stormfall._

Was this another dream? Was she about to wake up, ending this odd, yet suddenly intriguing moment?

"You..._you're_ Stormfall?" She whispered, eyes widened.

"Yes," the tom replied gently, and Skyheart felt her legs go weak. She really, really hoped this wasn't a dream. She could practically see answers floating right there in front of her face. All she had to do was ask.

"H-how do I know you?" Skyheart asked shakily, trepidation making her feel limp.

Stormfall's green eyes widened at this question. "You..don't know? But..."

"I don't remember," Skyheart admitted reluctantly, "I forgot six entire moons of my life...I don't know you, but your name is familiar. Can...can you tell me why?" Why was she blurting all of this out so easily?! This cat was from RiverClan!

"You...forgot? Forgot me?" He seemed shaken by this news. Skyheart's claws dug into the earth as she tried to keep herself upright. Just who was this cat to her?

She felt like she was leaning over a cliff, about to plunge down into the unknown. Everything she wanted...right here, at the tip of her claws. This tom, Stormfall, he had the answers. She felt certain of this.

Her fur bristled, and her eyes were wide as she imagined it. She would have her old life back! Everything would be as it was before! She would finally feel _normal _again!

And then Stormfall spoke, and everything crashed down around her.

"I loved you," he meowed, "And you loved me." He said it so seriously.

_...what?_

* * *

**Sucky ending, I know. But at least it's done!**

**Also, sorry that this one took longer to get out. I kept getting side-tracked while writing this.**

**Anyway, let me know if you like it!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	6. Chapter 5

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

_Previously..._

Her fur bristled, and her eyes were wide as she imagined it. She would have her old life back! Everything would be as it was before! She would finally feel _normal _again!

And then Stormfall spoke, and everything crashed down around her.

"I loved you," he meowed, "And you loved me." He said it so seriously.

_...what?_

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter Five**

"No," Skyheart whispered, eyes wide in disbelief. "That...that can't be right. Why would I have loved you, a cat from a different Clan? That's...it's against the warrior code!" Her legs felt like they would give out at any given moment.

Her mind was frayed. This was not what she had been expecting. She had wanted answers...not this! She hadn't wanted to hear this!

"No," her voice rose. "No! Lies! You're lying! I would never betray my Clan like that!"

Her claws dug deep into the earth, feeling like she would be blown away by some unseen force should she let go. Everything she had thought this cat might know... what he could tell her...was she wrong? Because, how could she possibly accept what he was saying? That she was in love with him, a cat from RiverClan...it didn't seem plausible. It was nothing but nonsense in her ears.

_Why? Why, why, why, why, why? Why does this cat taunt me with lies? Can't he see how desperate I am for answers? Does he find enjoyment in playing around like this?_ Her claws scored deep grooves in the earth. She felt bewildered and angry by his words. How...how dare he say such mouse-brained things? And so seriously too! Who did he think he was? Arrogant RiverClan warrior!

Skyheart could feel it. The fury, rising up within her, making her pelt burn with hatred. This cat was doing nothing but mocking her situation. And she didn't like it. Not at all - her claws itched with the urge to sink into soft flesh.

"I know it seems hard to believe," Stormfall murmured to her, padding closer, "but you have to listen to me. It's true. We were in love-"

The angry ShadowClan she-cat's claws raked across Stormfall's eye, causing the warrior to rear back in surprise while letting out a hiss of pain. Fresh blood welled from the new wound, dripping down onto the ground.

"I don't have to do anything you tell me!" Skyheart spat in rage, "You're an arrogant furball who's taking enjoyment in tormenting me with false truths!" Her flanks heaved as she panted, and blood coated her claws.

If this cat...Stormfall...was going to feed her lies and sing about how in love they had been...she wanted nothing to do with him. She wasn't going to stand there and let him taunt her. She would find another way to get the answers she sought. Because this tom was nothing but a liar who obviously had nothing better to do than mess around with unfortunate cats.

"Skyheart!" Stormfall exclaimed, furiously rubbing a paw over his injured eye. "Skyheart, what are you doing?! That hurt, for StarClan's sake!"

"Good!" She snarled, eyes blazing. "Maybe you won't go around telling such unbelievable lies after this!"

Stormfall stiffened, and he actually gave her a glare. "I'm not lying!" He suddenly hissed, "I'm telling you the truth! You wanted to know why I sounded so familiar to you, so I told you!"

Skyheart glared right back at him, her tail lashing. "The only thing you told me was obviously a lie," she insisted, growling stubbornly. "Or maybe, you _think_ it's the truth! Maybe you think you love me, and I love you, but in reality, you're just an obsessed mouse-brain!"

Stormfall's eyes narrowed to slits. Before she even had time to do anything about it, the large RiverClan warrior had her pinned to the ground, his muzzle pushing up against hers' as he bore his teeth angrily.

She thrashed under his weight, trying to break free, but the green-eyed tom held her in place. "Get off of me, fox-dung!" She screeched, flailing her claws at him. He took any blow she managed to land on him without flinching, staring down at her with a narrowed and intense gaze.

"Stop moving so much," he snapped, putting more pressure on her shoulders, making it difficult for her to move so freely. Her shoulders started to ache as a response.

Skyheart stopped reluctantly, and glared up at him in rage. From her position under him, she could clearly see the notches in his ears, the scars marring his pelt beneath his clumped fur, and smell the mixed reek of fox-dung and RiverClan together.

His eyes, which Skyheart had only recently noticed were green, were mesmerizing to look at when close-up. They were, dare she admit it, beautiful. She could feel herself drowning in them, losing her grip on her fury...the reek of fox-dung faded to the back of her mind.

Something tugged at her heartstrings, something foreign and unfamiliar. A feeling of loss and longing nearly overwhelmed her, and she found herself violently fighting the urge to nuzzle the side of this _RiverClan_ cat's face.

She didn't like these feelings. They were wrong. They didn't make sense. They made her more angry than she already was, which was a feat. She wanted them gone. And so she started thrashing under Stormfall's weight again, but this time in an attempt to get rid of those invading and consuming thoughts and emotions.

Stormfall pressed down on her even harder, effectively stopping the new movements. She bore her teeth angrily in reply, ceasing her actions once more. Struggling obviously wasn't going to do any good.

But...then there was that part of her that didn't _want _to fight against Stormfall's actions. This part confused and terrified her. It wasn't right to feel this way...

What was _wrong_ with her? This warrior was from RiverClan, and here she was, wanting to act all affectionate with him! StarClan, help her!

Skyheart nearly had a panic attack when the tom suddenly started to lean in, his eyes softening. "Skyheart," he murmured, brushing his muzzle against hers' again gently. Her limbs jerked in response, and she grit her teeth in an effort to prevent those affectionate urges from surfacing. She would be mortified of she acted on them.

She tried to turn her head away from him, but the way he held her down made then nearly impossible. Her ears flattened to her head as he continued to nuzzle his way down her neck. "Get off," she protested weakly, but he hardly payed her words any notice. "Stop..."

But just when the RiverClan warrior's affectionate gestures seemed to become too much for her to handle...

"Hey! Get off of Skyheart!" Suddenly, the weight of the warrior above her vanished, and Skyheart was able to regain her standing position. Her shoulders ached from where Stormfall's paws held her down, and a strange feeling of elation was coursing through her veins, but that was the least of her worries right now.

For Redstreak and Starlingwing had come to her rescue. The two warriors now had Stormfall pinned down much like she had been, but Redstreak's claws were positioned at the rival warrior's throat, pressing hard enough to draw the slightest amount of blood.

At the sight, Skyheart had to resist the sudden impulse to shove her Clanmates away from Stormfall. Instead, she stalked over to the three cats, and glared down at the tom with the angriest expression she could muster. It took some effort, what with that high feeling still occupying her limbs, but she managed.

"What did you think you were doing to Skyheart?" Redstreak spat, flexing his claws against Stormfall's neck. His face was positively livid, a strange gleam in his yellow eyes. Starlingwing brushed his tail over the younger warrior's shoulder to remind him not to tear the RiverClan cat's throat out.

Stormfall glared up at the two warriors that held him in place with contempt. "Why should I answer that?" He scoffed.

Redstreak's eyes blazed. "Because I'll kill you if you don't," he snarled, his entire pelt bristling. Skyheart was shocked at her Clanmate's rage. Normally Redstreak was a level-headed warrior, so naturally it was startling to see him so riled up like this.

"Redstreak," Starlingwing warned, applying more force with his tail. "Calm yourself."

"Calm myself? How can I be _calm _when this piece of crow-food had his paws all over Skyheart? You saw it just as well as I did, Starlingwing!" Redstreak's voice got louder, and his claws dug deeper into Stormfall's throat, causing him to choke a little.

That was all it took for Skyheart to decide enough was enough. "Redstreak," she growled, "get off of the RiverClan warrior. You're going to kill him if you apply much more pressure with your claws."

Redstreak shot her an incredulous look. "And what would be wrong with that?" He snapped angrily, "He was practically all over you just a few moments ago! It disgusts me!"

There was that gleam in his eyes again. Skyheart recognized it this time. Was her Clanmate..._jealous?_

_What would he have to be jealous over? _Skyheart thought, baffled.

"Enough, Redstreak," Starlingwing growled firmly, pushing the younger warrior aside with his flank. "Enemy warrior or not, there is no need to kill him." He allowed Stormfall to get to his paws, but he kept a close eye on the RiverClan warrior.

Redstreak muttered under his breath, looking cross. He glared fiercely at Stormfall, his ears flattened to his head. Skyheart wouldn't be exaggerating to go as far as to say that Redstreak hated the cat before him.

Skyheart's attention was drawn to Stormfall. His fox-dung covered pelt looked as ungroomed and unclean as ever, but he didn't seem to mind. His gaze met hers'. Skyheart froze as his green eyes bore into her with a intense look. She looked away rapidly, her heart speeding up.

_Stupid Stormfall, _she thought to herself, _why does he have to look at me like that? I feel funny..._

Starlingwing's voice made her look at him. "You," he flicked his tail at the RiverClan tom, "are coming back to camp with us." He gave the rival warrior a once over, and wrinkled his nose. "But first, clean yourself. I don't want you bringing that awful reek into our camp with you."

Redstreak's head snapped up at Starlingwing's decision. "We're taking him back to camp with us? Why?"

Starlingwing looked at the younger tom. "I think Rowanstar should know that a RiverClan warrior was harassing one of our she-cats," his gaze shot to Skyheart momentarily.

Skyheart didn't like this. Stormfall was coming to the ShadowClan camp? _Great StarClan, this is just wonderful! I want to be rid of that arrogant furball!_

But she didn't voice her opinion. Starlingwing was leading this hunting patrol, so it was his choice. So she just decided to go along with it. As much as it irked her.

So once Stormfall's fur was clean of all traces of foul-smelling substances, the four cats made their way to the ShadowClan camp, with Starlingwing in the lead, Redstreak at Stormfall's side, shooting hateful glares at said cat, and Skyheart in the back, trudging along reluctantly.

_This is going to be a long trek home,_ Skyheart thought flatly. _I hope I can sleep the rest of the day away when I get back. StarClan knows I'm going to need it._

* * *

**I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I hope you guys can forgive me, -.-'**

**Anyway, that's all for today!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	7. Chapter 6

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

Previously...

Skyheart didn't like this. Stormfall was coming to the ShadowClan camp? _Great StarClan, this is just wonderful! I want to be rid of that arrogant furball!_

But she didn't voice her opinion. Starlingwing was leading this hunting patrol, so it was his choice. So she just decided to go along with it. As much as it irked her.

So once Stormfall's fur was clean of all traces of foul-smelling substances, the four cats made their way to the ShadowClan camp, with Starlingwing in the lead, Redstreak at Stormfall's side, shooting hateful glares at said cat, and Skyheart in the back, trudging along reluctantly.

_This is going to be a long trek home,_ Skyheart thought flatly. _I hope I can sleep the rest of the day away when I get back. StarClan knows I'm going to need it._

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter Six**

It was indeed a long trek home. Redstreak wouldn't stop casting hostile glares at Stormfall, who returned each one with equal hostility, plus a side of scorn and contempt. The two toms seemed ready to rip each others' pelts off.

Needless to say, Skyheart quickly grew tired of the tense atmosphere between them, and bounded up ahead of them to join Starlingwing at the head of their little group. She felt Stormfall's gaze on her the entire time, and it unnerved and irritated her endlessly.

She had yet to recover from his earlier actions. He had been much too close for comfort, despite the fact that a part of Skyheart hadn't minded what he had been doing - a truth she wished that wasn't. She could just imagine how her Clanmates would react if they knew that...

Which was why she was greatly relieved that her Clanmates hadn't noticed her internal battle, for she was sure to would result in a plethora of both curious and suspicious questions. That she had no answer for. Like usual. How utterly frustrating.

_I wish, that for one moment, that things were easy, _she thought sullenly to herself, glaring at the ground underpaw as she padded alongside Starlingwing. She didn't notice the tom giving her curious and slightly concerned glances, she was far too wrapped up in her own thoughts for that.

It wasn't until a sudden and loud hiss jerked her from her inner thinking that she became re-aware of her surroundings, snapping her head around to stare behind her.

Stormfall and Redstreak were fighting. Actually fighting, with teeth and claws. Starlingwing turned back toward them and raced over, Skyheart at his heels. The older warrior forced the two younger ones apart, glaring at the two of them with anger in his eyes.

"Redstreak!" Starlingwing growled, "We are bringing him back to camp with us, not tearing his fur out. I thought I made that clear enough to understand."

Redstreak glared in response. "He called me a mouse-hearted coward!" He snarled, eyes flaming with indignation and fury. "What was I supposed to do, just let him insult me?"

"Yes!" All three cats were surprised when Skyheart butted into the argument, looking as angry as the formerly fighting cats themselves. "Starlingwing told you what we were doing, and that was _not_, "let's attack the RiverClan warrior"!" She glared at Redstreak, inwardly surprised by her own actions.

Redstreak flattened his ears at her, looking uncharacteristically hurt, but that quickly faded, replaced once again by anger. "Why are you defending this piece of fox-dung?" He growled, shooting her an accusing look. "He's a RiverClan cat!"

Skyheart stopped, feeling a sense of dread and confusion coming over her.

Why _was_ she defending Stormfall? This was the cat who had taunted her, and then forcefully pinned her to the ground, violating her personal space. She was supposed to be angry at _him, _not Redstreak! Why was she acting like this?

"I'm not defending him," Skyheart shot back quickly, tail twitching, "it's just that we can't bring him back to camp if he's gravely wounded, right? So how about we just stop this pointless fighting and continue on our way, alright?" She looked at her two Clanmates, who were now giving her odd looks. _StarClan, I didn't say something strange, did I? I merely just made a reasonable suggestion, right? _She started to feel uncertain, wondering if she should have just kept out of it.

Finally, however, Redstreak took a step away from Stormfall, though he still looked angry. But at least he was listening to her now, and not clawing more of the RiverClan cat's fur out. Thank StarClan.

Skyheart breathed out a silent sigh of relief, and then inwardly berated herself for being glad that Stormfall wasn't hurt too badly. And then she scolded herself even more when she realized she felt _guilty_ for slicing at his eye earlier. Even though he had kind of deserved it.

_Stormfall is from RiverClan. You are from ShadowClan. He is not your friend, or your ally, or StarClan forbid, your love. Stop feeling sorry for him. He doesn't deserve it. He lied to you, and taunted you openly. Show him no guilt, or pity, or sympathy,_ she told herself firmly, steeling herself against the sudden intense look said RiverClan warrior was now giving her again. If she couldn't ignore that itself, then what point was there for even trying?

The walk home resumed, but now it was tangibly even more tense than it had been before. Skyheart knew it was partly her fault, for defending Stormfall, even though she had verbally denied it.

_You can't stay in denial forever... you have to accept what is the truth eventually..._a voice hummed in the back of her mind. Skyheart firmly shushed it, and then continued on her way, following her Clanmates, and dreading what was to come with each and every step.

* * *

The camp was busy like any other normal day in ShadowClan. Cats were milling about, sharing tongues peacefully with each other, preparing to head off on patrols...nothing seemed out of place. Just a normal day...

Until the hunting patrol returned with a RiverClan warrior in tow. That's when the camp exploded into a flurry of low growls, hisses, suspicious looks, and hostile mutterings, each and every glare directed at the enemy cat in their midst.

Skyheart was secretly impressed at how calm Stormfall managed to remain throughout the whole ordeal. Not one whisker out of place. He looked as at ease as he might within his own Clan, a fact that also managed to confuse and irritate Skyheart. A cat shouldn't act so casual when in the camp of a rival Clan.

After several more moments of disarray, Rowanstar finally emerged from his den, looking irritated. From the sleepy look on his face, Skyheart guessed he had been taking a nap when his Clan had started to make a ruckus.

"What is the meaning of all of this noise?" He snapped, glaring about the camp, before his eyes fell on Stormfall.

The camp fell eerily silent as their leader stalked up to the RiverClan warrior dangerously, a dark look in his eyes. Stormfall flinched ever so slightly from the look he was receiving, but he stood tall, a defiant glare on his face. _RiverClan warrior thinks he's so tough and brave, _Skyheart thought scornfully, glaring along with the rest of her Clanmates.

"RiverClan warrior," Rowanstar growled, "A RiverClan warrior is in our camp. Would someone like to tell me why?"

Starlingwing stepped forward hesitantly, bowing his head to his leader before meowing, "We found him on our territory while we were hunting," he shuffled his paws, appearing to get even more nervous with each passing second as Rowanstar's glare grew darker and more angry.

"That's not all he did!" Redstreak burst out, causing the Clan to look at him, "He was all over Skyheart when we came across him! He had her pinned down!"

The Clan erupted into mixed growls of disgust and shock, glaring at Stormfall and giving Skyheart pitying and sympathetic glances. As if being pinned by a RiverClan warrior was the worst thing ever. Skyheart wished she could disappear, not liking the sudden attention being trained on her.

Rowanstar's eyes narrowed, and he got even closer to the RiverClan warrior still standing proud before him. "Is this the truth?" He hissed to no one in particular, but Stormfall surprisingly dipped his head, much to the shock of the Clan.

"Yes, it is."

Hisses and snarls exploded from the ShadowClan cats surrounding him, some looking about ready to claw his eyes out. At this point, Skyheart was among them, with Redstreak clawing at the earth under his paws.

Why couldn't this mouse-brained cat just keep his jaws shut? He just _had _to go and blurt out an answer like that! Skyheart stifled an irritated hiss, wishing that he had just kept silent so Rowanstar could send him away sooner.

Rowanstar didn't seem to expect Stormfall's answer either, for his eyes widened in response. "So you openly admit it," he muttered, looking at the enemy warrior with a new kind of anger that would have sent Skyheart cowering against the ground if it had been directed at her. "That's all I needed to hear. Starlingwing, Redstreak. Show this cat to the storage den," he waved his tail decidedly, "that is where he will be staying for the next while. One of you will remain there to watch him."

Skyheart along with her Clanmates stared at Rowanstar with wide eyes. He was going to keep Stormfall here as a prisoner? The gray-and-white she-cat's claws sank into the earth, and a wave of hate and despair crashed over her. Could she handle having _him_ constantly around, giving her secretive looks?

_Don't think about it, _she told herself, _don't think about him, period. Pretend he doesn't exist. Ignore anything he says to you, every look he gives you. Don't waste your time and energy on him. He's not worth it, remember?  
_

Chanting that in her head a few times, Skyheart watched as Rowanstar turned and padded back to his den with a low growl of, "Meeting dismissed," before vanishing from sight, while Redstreak and Starlingwing led Stormfall away. Redstreak looked satisfied and annoyed at the same time, pleased because the RiverClan warrior was now their prisoner, and angered because he had to deal with him for even longer. Starlingwing just looked tired, probably wondering why this was happening to him.

That's when Skyheart remembered Sunblossom, all thoughts of Stormfall and Redstreak and the Clan being banished to the back of her mind. How could she have forgotten about her friend for so long?!

She bounded across camp toward the medicine cat's den, ignoring the looks she received as she went, including the prying one from Stormfall himself. She slipped inside the den, but this time being quieter than she had this morning.

Fernblaze was still curled up in her nest, but she didn't look up this time when Skyheart entered. Either she didn't care, or she was sleeping. Skyheart suspected the latter.

"Frostwing?" She called softly, once she was inside fully. She didn't want to risk disturbing Fernblaze again. There was no reply. She tried again, "Frostwing!"

There was a sudden curious scrambling noise from deeper inside the den, and then a cat came into view. Skyheart twitched in surprise, obviously not expecting who it was. Not Frostwing, but...

"Vinetail?! What are you doing in there?!" All thoughts about being quiet vanished.

The gray tabby tom blinked at her and then narrowed his eyes. "Visiting Sunblossom, what do you think?"

Skyheart cocked her head to the side. "Is Frostwing in? Did she let you inside?" She found it hard to believe that the snowy white medicine cat would willingly let Vinetail in, especially after the greeting she received this morning.

Vinetail rolled his blue eyes. "Of course not," he meowed, "Did you really think I'd be able to get in here if she was?"

Skyheart's eyes widened. "You mean Frostwing's not in there...and yet you're still in her den without permission?" Frostwing wasn't going to too pleased to know about that...

"So it seems," Frostwing herself padded in behind Skyheart, causing Vinetail and Skyheart to tense. Frostwing's eyes were narrowed in irritation, and she gave Vinetail a glare. "I believe I distinctly told you to not bother my patients, Vinetail."

Vinetail's ears flattened to his head at the medicine cat's scolding. "I just wanted to see if Sunblossom was okay..." he grumbled.

"Sunblossom will be fine," Frostwing snapped, pushing the tom out of the way as she swept into the den. "Now I would _really _appreciate it if you warriors would leave me and my patients in peace," she gave Skyheart and Vinetail a stern look over her shoulder. "Go do something useful. Join a hunting patrol, patrol the border, StarClan, go bother that RiverClan prisoner if you want, just leave us in peace!" And then she vanished deeper into the den, where Skyheart assumed Sunblossom was being kept.

The medicine cat's words made Vinetail perk up. "RiverClan prisoner? We have a prisoner? When did this happen?"

Skyheart turned to pad out of the den, muttering over her shoulder at Vinetail, "We brought him in just this afternoon. He was creeping around in our territory. Where have you been all day?"

"He's been pestering me all day, that's where he's been!" Frostwing called from inside the den irritably, causing Vinetail to flinch in embarrassment and Skyheart to snicker softly at him, earning herself a glare.

About to respond to that look, Skyheart was suddenly reminded of Fernblaze when the she-cat spoke up, startling the two cats in the process.

"I'm trying to sleep over here, and you two are being louder than a pair of newborn kits," Fernblaze's voice didn't sound happy, and Skyheart shuddered at the tone while Vinetail stiffened. "Now do as Frostwing says and get out, before I make you!"

The two cats scrambled to get out of the den and escape Fernblaze's angry glare. Outside, the two cats glared at each other, before Vinetail snorted and stalked off with his tail high in the air, leaving Skyheart standing there, wanting to cuff the tom around the ears.

_Such an arrogant furball!_ Skyheart thought in irritation. _He's insufferable!_

She turned her gaze away from the retreating Vinetail, and immediately wished she hadn't. She really should have been expecting it, yet still...

He was staring at her again. Stormfall. His eyes bore into her, as if seeing straight into her soul. Skyheart blinked and took a step back unconsciously, unnerved by the look. Honestly! Did no one ever teach him that staring was rude?!

She averted her own gaze to the cat who stood next to Stormfall. Redstreak. The reddish-brown tabby tom was once again glaring at the RiverClan warrior, but when he felt eyes on him, he looked up and met her gaze.

His amber eyes widened for a moment, before he suddenly tore his gaze away, turning away from her entirely.

Skyheart felt her fur rise. Was he still cross from earlier, when she had 'defended' Stormfall? Shouldn't he just let that go? It's not she had insulted him or anything...why was he so angry?

_Toms...I'll never understand what their big deal is... _Skyheart thought, rolling her eyes to herself as she firmly ignored the two toms and turned away from them, padding away, even though now she could quite clearly feel both Stormfall's and Redstreak's eyes on her back.

As she tiredly made her way to the warriors' den, she reflected to herself how today had gone. She had met Stormfall, discovered a confusing mix of hatred and buried affectionate feelings for him, found out Redstreak was, for some reason, jealous of Stormfall, and lastly, re-confirmed that Vinetail was an arrogant furball.

_Well, at least today wasn't boring..._ she thought, as she curled up in her nest, shutting her eyes and letting sleep claim her.

* * *

**Once again, another boring ending. But I hope this chapter was satisfactory for you all.**

**Think of this rapid update as an apology for making you guys wait so long for the last chapter.**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	8. Chapter 7

**~Summary~**

Skyheart used to be a normal ShadowClan warrior. That was before she woke up on the other side of the lake on WindClan's territory, with no memory of the past six moons. Now she struggles to live a normal life, haunted by that black void that looms in her mind whenever she tries to think back, along with a best friend who is acting strange and unusually protective of her. And then there is that RiverClan warrior, the one who stares openly and acts much too friendly with her. Life has never been so complicated.

* * *

Previously...

Skyheart felt her fur rise. Was he still cross from earlier, when she had 'defended' Stormfall? Shouldn't he just let that go? It's not she had insulted him or anything...why was he so angry?

_Toms...I'll never understand what their big deal is... _Skyheart thought, rolling her eyes to herself as she firmly ignored the two toms and turned away from them, padding away, even though now she could quite clearly feel both Stormfall's and Redstreak's eyes on her back.

As she tiredly made her way to the warriors' den, she reflected to herself how today had gone. She had met Stormfall, discovered a confusing mix of hatred and buried affectionate feelings for him, found out Redstreak was, for some reason, jealous of Stormfall, and lastly, re-confirmed that Vinetail was an arrogant furball.

_Well, at least today wasn't boring..._ she thought, as she curled up in her nest, shutting her eyes and letting sleep claim her.

* * *

**~Lost~**

**Chapter Seven**

"Well? Do you want to go hunting?" Redstreak asked, looking at Skyheart expectantly. The reddish-brown tabby had been pestering her all day, never more than a few fox-lengths away. It was honestly starting to get on the she-cat's nerves. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? What was his problem, acting like this? She swore he was more persistent than a stubborn kit.

With a heavy sigh, Skyheart looked the tom in the eye and meowed, "Fine, Redstreak. Where do you want to go?" She really hoped she wouldn't end up regretting giving in like this...

Redstreak's eyes seemed to light up at her agreement, but he quickly composed himself again, and responded to the exasperated warrior, "I was thinking over near the Old Pine," he blinked at her, "there's always good hunting there."

Skyheart gave a small nod of approval, and then flicked her tail. "Come on then," she meowed, her paws already moving her toward the camp's exit. Redstreak was quick to fall into step beside her, and the she-cat had to resist moving away. She didn't want to offend her Clanmate, but she had to admit his clingy behaviour as of late was getting old fast. It was like she was a troublesome apprentice and he was her mentor.

It took everything she had not to make a sarcastic comment in his direction. It was at moments like these she really wished Sunblossom hadn't gotten injured so seriously. Her friend had been the only rock in a swirling ocean of confusion and doubt.

The two warriors left the ShadowClan camp behind, though as she slipped outside into the forest, she could feel _his _eyes searing into her back. Stormfall's. If having one annoyingly clingy cat following her around and bothering her was annoying, then add an arrogant RiverClan tom watching her every move, and you got a very peeved Skyheart.

Because that was exactly what he had been doing all day. From the moment she woke up and left the warriors' den, up until right now, Stormfall had been keeping an eye on her at all times. It made her feel twitchy and even more bothered than ever before.

Now, however, she was out of camp and out of view of that furball.

But that only dealt with one of her annoyances. Redstreak's pelt brushed up against hers, reminding her of the tom's presence. She stifled another sigh, and resisted flattening her ears against her head.

Resigned, Skyheart vowed to tolerate Redstreak for as long as she could, no matter what he did or said. Maybe he was just concerned for her, after seeing her 'attacked' by a RiverClan warrior. That must be it.

But he could stand to go about expressing that concern in a less irritating way...

_No. Stop that right now. He is your Clanmate; he's supposed to watch out for you. Show a bit of gratitude. _She scolded herself lightly, deciding that maybe she was being a bit too cold and harsh to her fellow warrior. It wasn't like he was doing anything _wrong_, per-say...

"We're here," the tom's voice snapped her back to reality, and Skyheart tore herself away from her complicated thoughts so she could pay attention to her surroundings. They stood at the foot of a large pine. Its roots were large and thick, and quite easy to trip over if one wasn't watching their footing.

Skyheart had a lot of memories regarding this tree. This was where she had made her first ever catch as an apprentice, her favourite place to go when she needed time to herself...she and Sunblossom had spent a lot of time here when they were younger.

The thought of the ginger she-cat sent a jolt of longing through her. A longing for the past, the simpler days. She wanted those back so desperately...a light cough interrupted her memories, and she remembered she wasn't alone here.

Redstreak had turned to face her. Skyheart stared back, blinking and waiting for him to say something else. When no more words left his jaws, her whiskers twitched and she turned from his gaze, to scent the air for any prey. The scent of squirrel hit her nose, and she peered around her, before slinking quietly around and over some roots.

The squirrel sat on a root a few fox-lengths away, gnawing furiously on a nut. Skyheart crouched down, eyes narrowed. She waited for the precise moment, her legs tensed and ready. If she timed this just right, this would be an easy catch...

_One...two..._she counted silently to herself. Power surged through her muscles as she made a powerful leap, springing up from the ground and charging the unsuspecting squirrel. _Three!_

Her white forepaws knocked the creature from its perch, pinning it to the earth. It writhed under her for a few heartbeats before the ShadowClan cat finished its life with a quick bite. Her ears flicked in satisfaction, and she licked her lips clean of the squirrel's blood.

Picking the dead squirrel up in her jaws, Skyheart turned around and nearly dropped the piece of prey in the same instant. Redstreak was quite literally just behind her, his eyes unreadable, a weird gleam in them. It made her uncomfortable the moment she noticed it.

She set the squirrel on the ground in front of her and shot the tom a quizzical look, wondering what was up now. From the way he was looking at her, she would have thought she had just sprouted a pair of wings. What was with this cat today?

"Redstreak? Is there something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" She backed up a step. That look in his eyes...it was frighteningly familiar...it was the same look Vinetail always gave Sunblossom. The same look Stormfall had given her when she had first seen him. She didn't like that look. It made her fur crawl with an uncomfortable feeling.

"Redstreak...?" The tom in question took a pace toward her, his expression intense.

"Do you have feelings for that RiverClan furball?" The words came out so suddenly, the severity of them made the she-cat flinch. And then she registered what he had just asked her, and she flattened her ears to her head.

"What kind of question is that?" She snapped at him, fur rising. "Why would you even ask that?"

Redstreak's eyes narrowed. "So you do!" He accused, and strode toward her again, causing her to back away some more. "I knew it! You _like _him!"

The hunt forgotten, Skyheart glared at her Clanmate in rage. "You don't know anything! Don't put words in my mouth, I never said anything about liking anycat!" She bore her teeth, suddenly feeling aggressive. "Just mind your own business, Redstreak!"

The reddish tabby gave a hiss of disbelieving anger. "Mind my own business? This _is_ my business, you stupid furball! Are you really that blind?!"

Skyheart's stomach dropped, but she held onto her fury. "I'm not stupid! What in the name of StarClan are you mewing about?" This day just kept getting worse - Redstreak had gone from being an annoying clingy furball to an annoying clingy _accusing_ furball. She didn't understand it; where had all of this anger and suspicion come from?

Redstreak snarled at her, unsheathing his claws. "Do I need to really say it?" He lashed his tail, and leaned forward, hissing in her face, "Fine, I will then! I'm in love with you, Skyheart! That's why it's my business! I love you, and you're pining after a cat _from another Clan!_"

Skyheart froze in complete shock. Had she heard him right? Did he just say...he was in love with her? Amber eyes widening, she discovered she had nothing in response to say. What would be the appropriate response in a situation like this?

"You..." her voiced faltered.

Redstreak backed off, a bitter look on his face. "See? I also knew you didn't feel the same. I saw the way you looked at _him, _and I saw they way _he _looked at you." Skyheart opened her jaws indignantly, but the tabby cut her off viciously, "don't even try and deny it. We both know what's going on here."

So he wasn't even going to give her a chance to try and defend herself, to explain? Who...who did he think he was? He accused her of having feelings for a RiverClan warrior, and then confessed his own love, and then refused to let her say her piece?

"Who do you think you are?" She growled at him, eyes flaring with anger. "At least let me explain before you go off and decide to behave like a kit that didn't get his way!"

Redstreak narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't try and interrupt again. Skyheart went on, "First of all, I never said _anything_ about having feelings for a RiverClan cat. You just jumped to that conclusion on your own. You don't know how I feel, because _I _don't even know how I feel!" She trembled slightly, digging her claws into the ground. The tom just watched her, silent as ever.

"Secondly, Redstreak," she spat, "I've been so confused over these past few moons, trying to piece my life back together. I don't need your drama, I don't need anycat's drama! I don't see how I was expected to know about your feelings for me, when I have my own troubles to deal with! I have better things to think about than finding that special cat and settling down with kits!"

Her words were harsh, and she didn't bother to soften them. Redstreak needed to know exactly what was happening. He needed to know she wasn't going to put up with his drama, or Stormfall's drama.

"Now," she said, her voice lowering some, "let's get this straight. I don't hate you, Redstreak, but I don't like being accused of betraying my Clan by being in a forbidden romance," her claws tore at the earth in her frustration. "I have no intention of betraying ShadowClan, not in a hundred moons."

There was silence between them after that. Skyheart refused to look up and meet his gaze, though she could feel it on her again. Moons seemed to pass by before the tom finally responded to her.

"I'm sorry," the words reached Skyheart's ears, and she looked up just in time to see the reddish tabby turning away from her. He glanced back at her once, eyes dark and filled with something she couldn't read, before finally setting his sights ahead and padding away.

She watched him go, staring at the spot where he disappeared long after he was out of sight. She suddenly felt hollow inside, and she let out a shaky breath. That could have gone better. Much better.

She wondered if he hated her now. She hadn't been very nice with her words or her tone. She shot him down so cruelly, without a second thought. She felt a pang of unwanted guilt. That wasn't any way a cat should treat her Clanmate.

Another strange sensation struck her like lightning as she thought about his words. _I'm in love with you, Skyheart!_

Her heart thumped irregularly in her chest, and she hissed in irritation. Just when she thought having one cat like her was difficult enough! Now she had two! And she still wasn't sure about how she felt for _either_ of them!

Her claws scored deep grooves into the earth. What was this all coming to? She had two furballs pining after her and causing seemingly endless drama, her best friend's fate was still undecided, and her memories were still as dark and fuzzy as ever.

Everything just kept spinning further and further out of her control, it seemed...

_StarClan, please help me! I don't know what to do anymore! I'm going to go mad if this carries on!_

* * *

**Well...here it is at long last! This took...forever to get out. I'm so sorry for the wait, you guys! -_-'  
**

**I really hope you all find this satisfactory. I had to rewrite the beginning like three times before I felt it was good enough.**

**Anyway. The next chapter will(hopefully) be up a lot sooner than this one.**

**Oh! Before I forget, readers, you may or may not have noticed that I posted a new story recently, called _Heartless._ I fully encourage you to go check it out; it's actually an indirect prequel of sorts to _Lost._ I'm not telling you anything more about it, you'll have to go read it to find out. :)**

**~TheAzuraStar**


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